Bruno Waterfield has been the Brussels correspondent for the Telegraph since 2007. He has been reporting on politics and European affairs for over 13 years, first from Westminster and then from Brussels since January 2003.

EU election campaign will be out of this world

Brussels spin doctors are planning to put a ballot box into orbit in an attempt to drum up some advance publicity for next June's European elections.

A taste of euro climate change propaganda to come

The wheeze is just one of many dreamt up as part of a £21 million PR contract to come up with a "campaign concept and visual identity" for the European Parliament. In space no one can hear you scream.

Those of us with long memories will recall the April 2005 mission when Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori took a copy of the ill-fated European Union Constitution to the International Space Station (ISS).

"Once in orbit, the Constitution will circle not only Europe, but the globe. It is to be hoped that this symbol of European identity will be welcomed by both Europeans and their counterparts throughout the world," rejoiced a rather too hopeful Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen at the time.

The latest orbital stunt will probably take place in May 2009 when the Parliament hijacks the take off of Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne, who will be on a six month European Space Agency mission to the ISS.

Officials and Euro-MPs fear the approaching European elections – to be held on June 4 next year.

The best case scenario is plummeting voter turnout (again). The worst case scenario is a wipe out for established politicians as angry European voters turn the poll into a referendum for that lost in space EU Constitution and its Lisbon Treaty successor.

As D-day looms EU, Parliament officials and PR professionals have agreed on the need for the official campaign "to be prepared to address controversial issues".

A new EU body, the Inter-Institutional Group on Information (IGI), is now up and running (from last week) to coordinate efforts and climate change has already been identified as the key issue for a propaganda offensive that will open in January.

"Vote in European elections and support the EU or the planet gets it" will be the angle, or something rather like it.

Convinced? It is no more daft or sophisticated than the European Commission clip (above) that links energy use to sex.